Virtua Tennis 4: World Tour Edition PS Vita review – new balls

The PS Vita gets yet another port of an existing home console game, but could Sega’s tennis sim actually work better than the originals?

Virtua Tennis 4: World Tour Edition (PSV) – number one seed

We’ve often talked about tennis’ profound influence on the early days of video gaming, after all it was the inspiration for such milestone titles as Tennis For Two and Pong . No real world sport works as well as a video game as tennis, but that’s largely contingent on the fact that you’re playing against a human opponent, which is generally less likely on a portable console.

Virtua Tennis’s great rival, Top Spin, shows no sign of appearing on PS Vita yet and neither does EA’s recent challenger Grand Slam Tennis 2 . That doesn’t really matter though because Virtua Tennis’s approach to the game has always been very distinctive.Top Spin is the more serious simulation of the big two, with the most recent Top Spin 4 being the best in the series so far – and thus the most realistic tennis game ever. Virtua Tennis’s roots are in the arcade though. Indeed it’s the only Sega arcade series to still be getting regular updates. Which is a sobering and not entirely pleasant thoughtâ¦

By focusing on action rather than subtlety Virtua Tennis illustrates tennis’s kinship with video games perfectly. The last game in the series was Virtua Tennis 2009 from professional Sega fans Sumo Digital. This sequel is by Sega Japan’s AM3, who frankly we weren’t even sure existed anymore. Unusually they’ve also overseen this portable version, which explains the fact that it’s so close to the original in both gameplay and graphics.One of Virtua Tennis’s main selling points is that anyone can jump in and start playing as long as they can mash a face button and know what the left analogue stick does. If you do want to delve deeper though Virtua Tennis 4 gives each of its players – whether real or custom-created – a range of different play styles. This gives everyone a speciality, such as a big serve or faster returns.It’s a very arcade style idea but it’s well balanced and adds an extra technical element as you adjust your play to deny your opponent a favourable shot. The other major addition is a super shot, which is exactly what it sounds like and is charged up by playing shots in your particular style. This begins to push the game into Mario Tennis territory, but since it’s only reminiscent of the superior Nintendo 64 version we were perfectly happy with that.Obviously there’s no PlayStation Move or Kinect (or 3D) support, but there are some inevitable touch controls, using both the front touchscreen and rear touchpad. Given how purposefully simple the normal controls are though it seems entirely pointless, and far less accurate. The two-player touchscreen option, using a top down view of the court, is a decent bit of fun though. As are an increasingly silly range of mini-games.In terms of game modes Virtua Tennis 4 is very generous, and the fact that its career mode is not a patch on Top Spin 4 is currently irrelevant on the PS Vita – since it’s the only game in town. Because Virtua Tennis 4 doesn’t have all the official licenses your road to glory is divided up by country, as you move around like a board game and grind experience as you go.It’s all perfectly enjoyable, and it lasts longer than most action games nowadays, but it does help to underline how relatively shallow the gameplay is underneath. Especially given the uneven ability of some of the computer-controlled components.Sega has gone to the trouble of revamping the online mode though, which means you have to worry far less about bumping into someone else with a copy of the game to play it against a real live human. Indeed the new options focus on socialising and keeping in touch, which is exactly what the game needed to keep it relevant long after launch day.In fact without the shadow of Top Spin 4 looming over it, and with all the effort put into the portable version, this actually comes out better than the original home console editions – even though the fundamentals are the same.If 2K Sports or EA do decide to challenge Virtua Tennis they’ll find this is no quick cash-in, and not only the best tennis game on the PS Vita but the best portable tennis game of any kind.In Short:An excellent conversion of the home console original, that actually seems more at home on the PS Vita than it did its original formats.Pros:Simple, accessible controls and the new play styles and super shot work very well. Fun mini-games and smooth graphics. Expanded online mode.Cons:Career mode and gameplay depth pales next to Top Spin 4 on the home consoles, especially given the variable artificial intelligence.Score:8/10Formats: PS VitaPrice: £39.99Publisher: SegaDeveloper: Sega AM3Release Date: 22nd February 2012Age Rating: 3Video:Check out the Virtua Tennis 4: World Tour Edition trailer